Fairies vs. Pixies

 Fairies, now-a-days, are seen as little, flawless creatures that fly around and throw pixie dust on people, such as Tinkerbell.  They are strikingly beautiful and are often sweet little individuals in modern movies, although, they are much different in Celtic mythologies.  Rather than being just a few inches tall, Celtic fairies were human sized or larger.  Tinkerbell is portrayed as a fairy in the Disney movie Peter Pan, but can be better described as a Pixie.  Pixies are charming, petite, winged creatures that wear green, have red hair, and pointed ears.  "They are mischievous and good pranksters who enjoy having a laugh at human expense especially when one passes on their territory, yet rarely cause humans harm" (Smith 233-236).  Although they like to joke with humans, they disapprove strongly of the bad ones.  Pixies are wrathful towards sinful man, and few dark-hearted humans escape the realm of the pixies unharmed.

A war between fairies and pixies had once broke out over a dispute over their domain and territory.  Pixies are thought to take the victory, pushing the fairies as far east as the Parrett River.  The river became the new border between the two creatures, the west being the Pixyland and the east being Fairyland.

Smith, Evans Lansing. "Fairies." The Complete Idiot's Guide to World Mythology. New York City, NY:
          Penguin Group, 2007. Print.